Tamawashi Becomes the All-Time Leader in Consecutive Sumo Bouts

Tamawashi is now sumo's official Ironman.

Mongolian-born wrestler Tamawashi set the record for consecutive bouts in grand sumo tournament history on Tuesday, September 10 with a push-out win against fellow rank-and-filer Kagayaki on Day 3 of the Autumn Basho.

Tamawashi came bursting out of the face-off and used a barrage of thrusts to the upper body to send the 11th-ranked Kagayaki out of the ring at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. His win left both wrestlers with a 1-2 record.

It was the 1,631st consecutive bout for the Mongolian, surpassing the previous record of 1,630 held by former sekiwake Aobajo, who retired in 1986.

At 39, No 10 maegashira Tamawashi is the oldest wrestler in the makuuchi division. He has not missed a single bout since his debut in 2004. He will turn 40 in November.

The breaks he was forced to take during the COVID-19 pandemic did not count against his consecutive matches streak, according to the Japan Sumo Association.

Tamawashi Reflects on Fans' Support

"The reaction from the crowd made it seem like I won a championship," said Tamawashi, a two-time Emperor's Cup winner. "I was so moved by their hearty congratulations."

Tamawashi added, "Moving forward is always what I focus on. Without the support of the fans I never would have been able to achieve this. It's hard to say how long I will be able to continue, I'll just try to do my best."

Six Wrestlers Tied for the Lead

In other major bouts at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, sekiwake Onosato used a textbook frontal force-out to send No 2 maegashira Oho backpedaling out of the ring.

Onosato, who is chasing promotion to ozeki, is one of six wrestlers tied for the lead at 3-0.

Ozeki Kotozakura stayed tied for the lead with a push-out victory over top maegashira Tobizaru, who dropped to 1-2. 

Sekiwake Kirishima also maintained a share of the lead at 3-0 with a superb overarm throw victory over top maegashira Takanosho (1-2).

Former ozeki Shodai and fellow rank-and-filers Endo and Sadanoumi are also perfect at 3-0.

No 2 maegashira Atamifuji delighted the sold-out crowd when he got a left-hand grip on the belt of Hoshoryu and shoved the Mongolian ozeki out to give both men a record of 1-2.

Wakatakakage, a seventh-ranked maegashira, used a slap-down technique at the edge to defeat Gonoyama and improve to 2-1. No 6 maegashira Gonoyama fell to 1-2.

Takakeisho Pulls Out of the Tournament

In other news on Tuesday, sekiwake Takakeisho withdrew from the Autumn Basho due to neck pain and will not return, Kyodo News reported.

Takakeisho's withdrawal ends his bid for a return to the second-highest rank of ozeki, which he would have achieved with 10 wins in this tournament.

But the four-time champion got off to an 0-2 start and didn't appear to have much chance of reaching 10 wins let alone a winning record.

Wakamotoharu, Takakeisho's scheduled opponent for Tuesday, won by forfeit and improved to 2-1.

The 28-year-old Takakeisho has now missed all or part of a tournament on 14 occasions.

RELATED:

• Promotion-Chasing Onosato Topples Tobizaru to Stay Perfect at Autumn Basho
• Kotozakura Defeats Hiradoumi on Opening Day of Autumn Basho
• Veteran Tamawashi Captures Second Emperor’s Cup and Etches His Name in the History Books
• Sumo's Ironman Tamawashi in the Spotlight at Kyushu Basho

Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.